Staccato took the bait. He withdrew his arms from Mia's shell to meet my feint.
"Mia! Unmeld!" I didn't recognize the horrid shriek coming out of my mouth. I hoped Mia would.
To my relief, Mia unmelded. I rolled to the left at the last second, avoiding direct contact with Staccato. I instead wrapped the nook of one of my arm joints around Mia, afraid that I would cut her in half if I used the lower parts of my arm.
Mia cradled something round and green in her arm. Her turtle.
I stabbed my free arm into the ground, using it as a pivot to change direction. Staccato slashed at me with his blades, but I couldn't fight while I held Mia.
I used Flee.
The world zoomed past me in a blink, but when the ability ended, I didn't have to slow down. It was more like time had sped up for an instant, a physical version of the hypermind.
I was already halfway up Garvek's front leg.
ENERGY: 160/1600
"Get to the wall!" I yelled while flinging Mia and her turtle into the air. I trusted that she would meld in time.
I climbed higher towards Garvek's head, but he shook himself like an animal trying to rid its coat of water.
"Julie! Get out of there!"
I expected Julie to unmeld, like she always did, but either she couldn't or she wouldn't. Garvek swung Julie about wildly by two of her legs. I skittered over to Garvek's shoulder to avoid colliding with Julie's body.
"Julie!" I screamed again. What the hell? Her other legs were slack, as if she wasn't in control.
A red glow began filling Garvek's mouth. Staccato suddenly appeared in front of me, also clinging to Garvek's neck. I stepped forward, about to Phase Shift through Garvek to reach Julie.
You can't! You're in Staccato's Beastform.
Shit! I hadn't thought about how that worked.
If could go back to my Beastform…but then I'd need Staccato's Beastform again to breach the hull. That would burn another 100 energy.
Too much was happening at once.
I need another hypermind. Once more.
It's too dangerous. The last one already fell apart.
ZOE'S RIGHT. WE CAN'T—
A short one. Vikki, please!
The world froze again, but this time there were immediate flashes of blinding white. I couldn't see. A high-pitched tone buzzed in my ears. The pain was back, worse than ever, a ripping sensation as if my head would tear into a million pieces.
I wanted the pain, the noise, everything to stop, to go away. Forever.
Fuck! I couldn't think properly
Dustin can't take anymore! This was a mistake! End it!
The world moved again.
Zoe and Vikki were right. I couldn't just rely on whatever new ability popped up.
I wasn't trained from childhood like the others. I wasn't a real soldier. I wasn't even a real Beastmaster. All I could do was keep fighting, one step at a time.
Keep it simple. Keep moving forward.
Grab Julie. Open a hole. Get the fuck out of there.
I used Flee again, but this time I activated my Vorpal Strike at the same time. I wasn't aiming for Staccato, or even Garvek, but the section of wall about fifty feet away.
Staccato and Garvek's jaw just happened to be in the way.
My twin blades sliced through Staccato, and in the same instant, they cut through Garvek's lower jaw.
Then, I was a hundred feet in the air, slashing at a section of wall. My blades sank deeply into the wall as if they were made of thick mud. But would I be able to cut all the way through?
The tips of my arms pierced through the resistance and met rushing air on the other side. I hacked in fury, sections of the wall ripping out. It was enough.
I twisted my head. "Julie!"
Julie had snapped out of it. She was already crawling up the wall to meet me, Mia clutching to her back in her unmelded form. Garvek was crouched, screaming in fury.
Staccato was impossibly fast. He appeared between Julie and me, blocking her way to the hole I had opened in the airbase wall.
I rushed him, but I released the Copycat Form at the last moment. Staccato wasn't ready for the sudden change in appearance, and he missed. I used the distraction to knock him off the wall with my shoulder. While Staccato could climb the walls, he couldn't match the grip of my clawed paws.
He tumbled to the ground.
Julie raced towards the hole.
"Seal it! Don't wait for me!" I shouted as she crawled through the opening.
"On it!" Julie yelled.
As she passed through, she left behind a sticky mass of webbing.
Garvek roared. "No! He was mine! You stole him!"
His jaw, half-missing now, exploded in red light. I didn't wait to find out what would happen. I Phase Shifted through the airbase wall.
The wind rushed past me as I clung to the exterior. I couldn't find anyone.
"Up here!" Julie waved a leg at me from above.
I climbed quickly to reach her. Mia, unmelded, typed into her phone.
"They're already in position!" Mia shouted. "I've sent a message. Transport's incoming!" She pointed frantically behind me. "Staccato!"
I whirled. Staccato had cut through Julie's webbing and was approaching.
ENERGY: 115/1600
Damn it. I barely had any energy left. The others couldn't be doing much better.
Mia melded and tried to move to a guard position in front, but I stopped her, stepping in front instead.
"Staccato," I said. "Please. You're one of us."
"Not anymore," he said. "Don't you get it? Didn't you find out what they did to me?"
"And Garvek's any better? He was going to force himself on me, too. You know he's the reason you lost your Avatar?"
"Shut up! I don't care!" Staccato's blades pulsed blue, then red. He bent his legs, ready to spring forward.
I couldn't beat him in a fight, but I still had to stop him. There had to be a way.
Like last time. Distract him.
"Wait!" I shouted desperately. "You don't know what you're doing."
"I'm killing you," Staccato said. "Garvek doesn't need you anymore."
"Not me." My mind raced. "You could be killing your kids."
"What?" Staccato laughed, a horrible screeching sound. "Hunter, that's pathetic. Just die."
"No! I'm not making this up, I swear. Ask Garvek. Or Dr. Preston. You have kids."
Staccato lowered his blades slightly.
"I don't know who," I said. "It's classified. But your kids are on our squad. It could even be Julie or Mia."
Oh shit, Mia was Asian. She couldn't be his kid, could she? I hoped Staccato wouldn't notice my blunder.
"You're lying," Staccato growled.
"I'm not! I swear!"
Before Staccato could reply, five Mekanics descended, landing in an arc behind him. They were the same flying model as before. One of them stepped forward.
"You! You! I'll delete all of you!"
DUSTIN! CAN WE GO NOW?
We had no way to get off the airbase.
Incoming! It's Drake.
A silvery shape approached. I sensed the others turning to see what I was looking at. Drake was our transport, if he could make it in time.
Staccato laughed again. "Drake? That's your plan? Don't you get it? One more of you isn't going to make a difference against us." He swung his head, gesturing to the Mekanics around him. "You had two chances to join us. You won't be getting a third."
Three of the Mekanics flew away toward Drake.
"Ask him!" I screamed, gesturing to the first Mekanic who had spoken. "Your kids!"
"I don't care!" Staccato roared. His angular legs bent sharply, preparing for a lunge.
Drake wouldn't make it in time. I squinted at his shape. Can I use Resonance Scan at this distance?
WHICH TARGET? OH. YES.